Zvi Orushkes (Oron)

Born in Bialystok, the photographer Zvi Orushkes (Oron after 1948) settled in the United States in 1914. Once a socialist-territorialist, he became a Zionist at the outbreak of World War I and fought with the Jewish Legion in Palestine in 1918. On demobilization, he remained in the country and established a photography studio. For commercial reasons, he courted the British and in 1929 became official photographer to the government. Although he worked for Jews and Arabs as well, some Zionist officials resented his British contacts and ostracized him.